A psychiatrist who was formerly the head of adult community mental health services on the North Shore and a long-standing clinician at VCH’s Lion’s Gate Hospital, will have to shut down his medical practice after admitting to hugging one patient and going into business with another.

An internal audit into drug management at Richmond Hospital flagged several problems, including how anesthesiologists track drug use and “wastage.”

Just a month after B.C. recognized him for a lifetime of work in HIV/AIDS, the Governor General has appointed Dr. Julio Montaner as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Dr. Brian Toyota of VGH became the first physician in Canada to perform brain surgery with the Neuroblate system, a minimally invasive robotic laser thermotherapy tool for the removal of brain tumours.

“For the past four years, I have written in The Vancouver Sun at this time of year with a brief look at what the past 12 months have been like for Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the million-plus people we serve. It has also been an opportunity to take a look at what might lie ahead, not just for us but our health system.” Submitted by Kip Woodward, VCH Board Chair.

A new drug that could dramatically improve outcomes for people who are addicted to opioids or alcohol is being tested at St. Paul’s Hospital.

The latest statistics from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control show that of patients tested for the flu, 31 per cent of results were positive in Week 51 of 2014 and 45 per cent in Week 52, with the majority of cases being the H3N2 strain. With quotes from Dr. James Lu, a medical health officer at VCH.

VGH physician Dr. Suneet Singh requires urgent medical care after suffering from altitude sickness during a recent research and awareness trek in Bhutan.

Routinely topping up patients with a pint of blood before surgery is now an old-school approach in Canada as hospitals try to preserve a precious resource while avoiding dangerous complications. With a quote from Dr. Terry Waters who is coordinating VCH’s participation in the study.

A Roberts Creek mother is suing St. Mary’s Hospital after her suicidal teenage daughter was released and then attacked her with a baseball bat. In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the mother alleges that St. Mary’s Hospital breached its duty of care in its handling of the 15-year-old girl.